Rekos declines Princeton fire chief position

Select board chairman Raymond Dennehy announced “with sincere regret” Monday night that Paul Rekos won’t be taking the job as full-time fire chief due to a family medical issue and negotiations have come to an end.

“We think the world of him, and at this point wish him well,” said Dennehy.

“I’ve been talking with him for the last month. He called me this morning and told me his decision, said Dennehy. “With regret I accepted his decision.”

“We need to examine where we go from here,” he added. “We have to step back and refigure our options and meet with the selection committee again.”

In October, selectmen voted unanimously to offer the job of fulltime fire chief to Rekos of Ashby, one of three finalists for the job. At the time, selectmen hoped to have someone on board by the end of November or early December.

Asked where the board was in regards to regional dispatch, Dennehy said the town is waiting for Holden’s study determining the level of interest in its proposal for a regional dispatch at their new public safety facility.

“We set it aside while we were dealing with hiring a full-time fire chief, so we’ve been in a holding pattern,” he said. “Our intent is to understand all the issues and move forward, he added.”